Mount Baker School District gets $500,000 energy grant

by Stephanie Kosonen
DEMING –  The Mount Baker School District recently received a $500,000 grant from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for energy efficiency improvements.
The district was already looking into how to be more energy efficient before officials learned they could apply for the grant, said Superintendent Dr. Rick Gantman. A contract [...]

North Cascades Highway: Crews to begin snow removal this month

by the Foothills Gazette
NEWHALEM – Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crews found lower-than-normal snow levels during a field trip on Feb. 22 up the North Cascades Highway to assess snow conditions, officials said.
“Right now, snow and debris amounts are down compared to previous years. We dug a snow pit near the summit and found [...]

March Mud Madness: Having fun with spring’s main ingredient

by Joe “Grizzly” Beeks
It’s officially March. The days are getting longer again, kids are waking up earlier, and the birds are chirping each morning. There may be snow in the hills, but March for most folks means the start of Spring, or at least the fact it’s starting to be near the start of Spring. [...]

Welcome Valley’s Local Food Works receives $1,500 grant

by Brita Adkinson
DEMING – Local Food Works, a food production organization based in Welcome Valley, recently received a $1,500 grant from the Bellingham-based Community Food Co-op Farm Fund to assist their efforts in providing fresh fruit and vegetables to local families and individuals in need.
Local Food Works started in 2009 as a kitchen table organization, [...]

Annual auction raises funds for Northwest Wildlife Rehab Center

by Stephanie Kosonen
NUGENTS CORNER – The sixth annual Northwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Auction will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 6 at the Northwood Hall in Bellingham.
The wildlife center cares for injured and orphaned wildlife in Whatcom County. “Every patient is treated as if it is the last of its species. [...]

Council approves changes to septic inspections, subdivision moratorium

by Stephanie Kosonen
COUNTY – The Whatcom County Council has approved amendments to septic system rules, allowing some private homeowners to inspect their own systems as long as they take a free, county-sponsored class on how to care for and monitor on-site septic systems.
Following a public hearing, the amendment passed with a 5-2 vote on Tuesday, [...]

Olympics: Local businesses see small boost; residents visit games

by the Foothills Gazette
COUNTY – Local businesses have reported a small bump in tourism related to the Olympic Games held in Vancouver, B.C. Feb. 14-28, with most visitors being Canadian residents.
According to Magenta Widner, lead staff at the Glacier Public Service Center, visitation in February was slightly lower compared to 2009. “There have been visitors [...]

Cross-country skiing at the gates of heaven

by John D’Onofrio
COUNTY – People cross-country ski all over the country. Even in New Jersey. But here in the Northwest corner we are fortunate enough – nay, blessed – to have at our disposal scenery that buoys the heart and surrounds us with the true, deep silence of winter.
The cross-country destinations that radiate from the [...]

Mount Baker Hard Core celebrated in Vancouver exhibit

by Brent Cole
MOUNT BAKER – Some of the best snowboarders in the world have called Mount Baker home, including the riders of the legendary Mount Baker Hard Core, who are being recognized at an event celebrating snowboarding history and culture during the same time as the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.
In 1990, Bob Ridgley, owner [...]

Septic regulations temporarily eased

by Stephanie Kosonen
COUNTY — The Whatcom County Council decided to ease inspection requirements for residential septic systems in a 5-2 vote on Tuesday, January 26. The temporary halt was enacted in response to public outcry about tougher regulations put into place in 2008.
The council’s health committee will discuss an amendment to allow for people to [...]

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